ABSTRACT
American liberals often presume that conservatism is contrary to social justice, but that would be incorrect. Conservatism has advanced social justice in two essential ways: (1) by promoting freedom, markets, and the private sector, all congruent with economic growth, and (2) as a corrective for liberal failure to improve the circumstances of disadvantaged populations, often as a result of unresponsive and inefficient bureaucracies. The decline of American liberalism in public discourse and the advocacy of governmental policies and programs to achieve inclusion of marginalized populations have presaged the recrudescence of conservative values in social affairs. As government has faded as a popular mechanism to advance social justice, innovations such as social entrepreneurship have emerged, employing some of the profits generated by the private sector to achieve progressive ends.
